Kacie Jane!!

Sweet Kacie Jane is here!!!  And we are in love!!!!

We were able to meet Kacie on Thursday, October 30 at 4:27 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz (!) and was 21.5 inches long.  She is everything we hoped and prayed for and we love her so much!!  

I was SOOO anxious and ready to meet this girl I can't even tell you.  The last two weeks were torture emotionally!  Since we had gone to the hospital at 38 1/2 weeks contracting 2-4 minutes apart all night...I thought she was coming!  So then when we got sent home because I wasn't progressing past 3 cm, I was so bummed and then SO READY for her to get here!  She was just way too cozy in there and didn't want to come out even though I continued to have stronger contractions for the next two weeks.  It was so confusing to know when to go in and when to stay home as the contractions were definitely different than the Braxton Hicks ones I had had the entire pregnancy.  

At 39 weeks, I was 4 cm and nearly 100% effaced so my Dr. said it was looking very good that I could have a VBAC which I so hoped I could experience! So, even though it's not ideal to induce labor for a VBAC, he thought it would be okay to "gently" do so since I was already dilated so far. 

So, on October 30, Ryan and I went in at 6:30 a.m.  Here I am at 40 weeks and 2 days!

 They started the Pitocin around 7:30 and then the Dr. broke my water around 9 a.m.  Contractions started picking up at 9:30 a.m.  They weren't bad at first and reminded me of what it felt like to labor with the girls.  (I labored to 10 cm with them and then had to have an emergency C-section).  But then once I got to 6 cm, things started to get HARD!  I was in a lot of pain, way more than I remember with the girls.  SO much pressure and pain.  It was crazy!  I knew I needed an epidural as the nurse said water breaking and pitocin make the contractions a lot worse.  Apparently!!  So at 7 cm they gave me an epideral but it did not work!!!  At this point I was like HELP!!!  The nurses were confused because it was only numbing my legs and not my stomach! They kept trying to figure out the problem and finally by 9 cm, it started to work!  HEAVEN!!  Then it wasn't long until 10 cm....and I started pushing at like 3:40....then sweet Kacie Jane arrived at 4:27p.m.!  The name Kacie is just a name we liked and then Jane means "gift from God" so we just HAD to give her that name because she truly is an unexpected, yet completely prayed for, gift from God.  I can't even believe how amazing giving birth is.  This experience was night and day different from delivering the girls and I'm so thankful I could experience a successful VBAC.  They gave her to me right away!  And then my mouth DROPPED when she knew how to nurse right away!  It took the girls forever to figure out how to suck and swallow and put it all together.  SO SO amazing!

Kacie meeting her mom...best moment ever.  :)

Proud daddy  

 The big sisters were SO anxious to get to the hospital!  They were able to give her her first bath! :)

 Our four beautiful daughters - Emily, Hailey, Addison, and Kacie   I can't believe this is my life!

The nurse gave the girls these hospital bracelets.  :)

First family of 6 photo!!!  My heart is full!!!!

 Meeting Grandma Kathy!

 and Grandma Gwen

 Grandpa Joel - and we have a stretch with kind of naming her after her grandpas.  :)  Total stretch - but my dad's name is Joel Wayne and if you put those names together you kinda get Jane. :)

 And then Kacie has the same initials as Grandpa Kim who's name is Kim J. Dooyema.  No one knows what the J stands for though...so since his first name is girly...who knows? Maybe his middle name is Jane!  Haha! :) Love you both! :)

And my sister was able to come with my nephew Kenton!!

Kenton was SO pumped to have a new cousin!  We call them baby KJ's!  :) Kenton James and Kacie Jane! People kept asking if they were twins! Then we'd be like...well no..but Kara is a twin...and I have triplets at home.  Craziness. :)

Meeting Auntie Jody and cousin Kate!

Cousin Erin is a pro with babies! :) (and Uncle Shane is too but just didn't make the pic! Oops!)

Then we got to take her home on Saturday morning!  The girls couldn't wait to get home from basketball!  Em and Kacie

 Addy and Kacie

 Cousin cuties....or cousin COOTIES :)

 So so thankful my mom and dad and sister and Kenton could be here for the first few days I was home!  They were a huge help and I loved having them here!!!

 Sisterly love...

 Hailey and Kacie

 Precious little miracle

 LOVE her!  And it really is quite different having one baby this time!  I find myself just sitting around holding her so much because I CAN!  And I'm trying to savor every moment knowing it's our last baby!  I get all emotional when I think about how long we wanted her and then how we gave it up to God and then He ends up surprising us in His perfect timing.  I KNOW He has a special plan for this little one and I'm so so thankful we get to experience having a newborn and really ALL of the stages of parenting again.  I feel so blessed and so giddy having her here!

 Buuut...on Monday we went in for her Dr. appt and then didn't find out until Monday at like 8:30 p.m. that she was jaundice.  Her bilirubin level was 19.6 and if it got to 20, she would have to be admitted to the hospital.  For some reason I started bawling (hormones, emotions, over-tired) :) All of the other girls had been in the hospital for 5 weeks and I just hoped we could have a kid who DIDN'T have to be in the hospital!  Poor girl!  So they rushed a bili blanket over to our house at 9:45 p.m. that night.  She was hooked up to this thing every minute for 5 days.  On Friday, Addison stayed home with a fever....then we got a call from school that Hailey had the stomach flu....yikes....and then THANKFULLY we got the call from the Dr. later that night that Kacie could finally go off the bili blanket!  So thankful for good news!!

 Totally a little Ryan I think!  :)

 And isn't this face adorable? :)  I could stare at these little eyes all day!  Praise God for Kacie Jane!  :) Love you honey!!!